Herencia Custom Garage – Triumph Bobber

This is the latest build from German Karp and Federico Lozada of the Argentina based HCG (Herencia Custom Garage) For this project the guys wanted to build a bike with the ‘essence and spirit’ of a 50’s bobber, but with the all important modern reliability. Starting with a Triumph Thruxton as the donor bike, German and Federico cut the frame in half and fabricated a new rigid back-end, ensuring that the length & geometry of the original bike remained the same.

An old Triumph gas tank was fettled to fit the modern Hinckley frame, something that gives this Bobber a more 50’s look than the stock item. The solo seat was fitted with adjustable air bags and compressor that should soften the ride, which goes a long way to make this bobber more kidney friendly.

To keep the handlebars clutter free, HCG fitted an internal throttle with welded-on brake and clutch levers. The front cables brake lever operates a discreetly hidden reservoir which in-turn operates the front hydraulic brake. The start and turn switch has also received the minimalist treatment giving the bars the desired effect.

The Thruxton wiring loom is stock, but has been hidden away in the fake oil box which is located under the seat. Below that is the battery box containing a lithium battery. The battery box also doubles up as the mount for the stock rectifier and On/Off ignition switch. Front and rear lights are generic Japanese items with the rear being mounted on the chaincover.

First appeared in bonnefication.com

Triumph Bonneville Gold Edition by FCR

Every morning there was something for me to look forward to, my ride in to work. The cold and fresh breeze of the freeway would pump enough oxygen to my brain to keep me active and focused.

 
Not long ago I sold my daily ride, I am missing the sound of the engine and desperately searching the Interweb for my next ride. I haven’t decided what’s worse commuting by car and moving at a snails pace in the morning traffic, or being packed in like sardines on the train. One things for sure nothing can give me the pride, passion and independence a motorcycle can and I better find my next commuter PRONTO!! For the time being the only cure out there for me is the feature of the day, a custom Triumph Bonneville Gold Edition by FCR.

When it comes to attention and class the Triumph Bonneville has become a most demanding motorcycle amongst riders. It’s been in production for 50 years and yet it still looks, sounds and feels like a proper motorcycle should.
The base for this FCR build was a stock Triumph Bonneville, which has been beautifully scaled back to bring out a more fine spirited Bonneville. At the front this custom Triumph Bonneville Gold Edition features a small front headlight and a LSL handlebar. The front forks were polished and the stock mirrors were replaced with a custom pair. The stock saddlery was also replaced with FCR’s custom saddlery.

The other modification includes a shortened front and rear fender. The hub and rim of the wheels were painted in black and wrapped in Pirelli road tires. The finished Triumph Bonneville Gold Edition was painted in black with gold stripe detailing.
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.  Has this custom Triumph Bonneville Gold Edition achieved that perfection?

 

Visit - FCR | Like FCR on  – Facebook | Images by – Renard Kévin Photography
Originally appeared in motorivista.com

Triumph Bonneville T100 by Bunker

Our most recent Top 5 feature showed just how versatile Triumph’s Bonneville is as a custom platform. The venerable Bonny makes for as good a flat tracker as it does a café-racer–so it’s easy to forget what a fine looking motorcycle it actually is in stock trim.
This 2013 Triumph Bonneville T100 Black, from Turkey’s Bunker Custom Cycles, proves just how much can be achieved with a well thought out nip and tuck. As the name implies, the Black comes from the factory with a predominantly black color scheme–right down to the engine and wheels.

“The T100 was already a very pretty looking bike when its owner brought her to our garage,” says Bunker’s Mert Uzer. He and his brother Can decided to focus on improving the bike’s visual balance as much as possible. After sketching out their ideas they set to work, starting with the rear of the bike. The stock fender and taillight assembly were ditched before the subframe was shortened and finished off with a loop–which was then trimmed to allow access to the seat mounting bolts.

To give the T100 Black a slightly more aggressive stance, the brothers installed 1” longer-than-stock Progressive Suspension shocks, before fabricating a new seat with a slight bump in the rear. The seat’s been upholstered in brown leather and features a Luimoto Gold Gel pad, inserted under the cover for added comfort. They then fitted hand-made aluminum fenders and a gorgeous one-off taillight–turned in a lathe and designed with polished fins to echo those on the engine.

The airbox was removed and K&N filters added to help the engine breathe better. The silencers are British Customs Predator units, and there’s a new Dynojet Power Commander wired in. After re-mapping and dyno-tuning, the Bonneville is now good for 68.7hp and 71Nm of torque.

To accompany the new filters, Bunker cut slits into the standard side covers and lined them with an aluminum mesh backing. They also trimmed the front sprocket cover and fabricated an engine guard. Other touches include a yellow lens and bespoke guard for the headlight. The turn signals have also been relocated and low-rise Biltwell bars fitted, with grips wrapped in the same leather as the seat.
The factory black paint scheme turned out to be the perfect match for the Uzer brothers’ well-executed mods. The result is a refined, yet brooding Bonneville T100 that’s begging for a nighttime cityscape to blast through.
Follow the adventures of Bunker Custom Cycles via their Facebook page.

The post Triumph Bonneville T100 by Bunker appeared first on Bike EXIF.

When Triumphs Go Bad! Part 2

Earl and son Brian, a fireman by profession, share similar tastes in hot Triumphs.

The Mark of Kane: Triumph TT Hotrods

The Kane built Bonneville motor features 

The homage to the ’60s bobber chopper seen here is the creation of a Brit-bike fan named Earl Kane, his enterprise called “Cycle Art by Earl” and located in San Pedro, CA.
“My first big bike build was a 1937 Indian Scout that I bobbed when I got out of the Navy,” says Earl. “I’ve done cars and boats, and now I’m back to bikes and fabricating custom alloy parts for them.”
Since Earl‘s been building bikes and custom parts since 1964, he was there when this Trumpet was new, as the gnarly hardtail is built around a 1964 Bonnie powertrain placed in a TR-6 frame with an aftermarket hardtail rear-end mated to an equally classic Ceriani front end. The rear wheel is a Harley 16-incher laced to a Triumph hub, and that rear spinner knock-off was transplanted from a 1950s Hildebrand sprint car. A 19-inch wheel upfront wears an 8-inch ’69 Triumph twin-leading shoe brake assembly.
“The front brake works great, but with the back brake it helps to drag your feet,” laughs Earl. 
His own handiwork can be seen in the deeply and dramatically finned oil tank he designed and fabricated to match the original Webco 1960s finned primary cover. Spark is advanced via an original 1970s ARD mag, so the bike runs batteryless with no unsightly switches to clutter up the bars.
He also made the velocity stacks and the chain tensioner as well as the chromed steel pan seat. It’s doubled up with a liner underneath, and those pads contain gel foam under leather. Earl says that with the combination of the springs, taken from a Stingray bicycle, it makes for a fairly comfortable ride even with the hardtail design.
You’ll notice a very trick kickstart lever, Earl’s signature piece found on all his bikes. “The first one I whittled out of metal, then I had a bunch made by water-jetting.” Earl says the bike is usually a first-kick thanks to the mag. When the bike fires up, the headlight comes on, and that headlight is a 1950s Appleton auto spotlight.
Asked how it felt to ride the bike, Earl says, “From bar to bar and to the beach it’s fine. It’s not exactly a cushy freeway bike, but I’m 64 and it doesn’t beat me up.”

Class auto wheel spinner used as gas cap, another custom-made Kane part.

Spinner theme also applies to the Kane custom wheels.

While Earl specializes in Triumphs, he also works with BSAs and the occasional Norton. His price range for building one of his gnarly bobbers runs $7500-15,000. If you bring all your own parts that could drop to as low as $5K.
You can check out his other bikes (and some cool vintage sprint car photos) on his web site http://www.earlsbikes.net/ or you can call him at 310-218-2979.

When Triumphs Go Bad! Part 1

In the premier biker movie of all times, the 1953 The Wild One starring Marlon Brando, the hero “Johnny” is not riding a Harley. Instead, he’s roaring around on a Triumph, a trophy tied to the handlebars.

Brando and his Triumph in The Wild One.

Maybe the motorcycle brand’s name was a metaphor for the character’s action-packed life and the reason the movie makers chose a Triumph, or maybe Brando just preferred the machine personally. Whatever the reason, after the movie’s release, black leather jackets and Triumph sales skyrocketed. Bad was now good.
Triumph was founded in 1886 by a German immigrant to London, one Siegfried Bettman who came up with the name for his bicycles. By 1902 he was hanging motors (Belgian made) in the spindly frames and producing motor-cycles from new headquarters in Coventry. Three years later, Triumph was making its own 100% bikes. Fifty years later, they latched onto another famous moniker, the Triumph Bonneville, and as they say, the rest is history.
The Thunderbird was introduced in 1950 and then in 1958 the famous Bonneville launched itself into motorcycling history. Sales were more than brisk, some 48,000 Triumphs produced in the banner year 1969. But after some 20 years of economic troubles and corporate wheeling-dealing, the company was dissolved in 1983.
A new owner with a new vision, John Bloor, revived the company in 1990 and built a new factory in Hinckley where he unveiled a whole new species of Triumph in 1992. They would enter the U.S. market in 1995, followed by a re-launch of the famous Bonneville in 2000. Over the next several years the company prospered thanks to high-quality machines that attract a whole new generation of riders.
In any case, people have been “chopping” or customizing Triumphs, aka Trumpets, since they were chopping and customizing Harleys, the choice a function of geography and finances. In recent years there’s been a re-boom of interest in Triumph customs, both the classics of the 1960s-70s and even the new batch of “modern” Triumphs. But you just can’t beat a late-’60s 650cc Triumph for character, attitude, trim good looks and enough power to bridge the fun gap between the 20th and the 21st centuries.
Seen here are four Southern California variations on a Triumph chopper theme, bikes built by individuals each with a unique perspective on what constitutes a Brit Bike Gone Baaaddddd!

The Harbortown Bobber, aka Movie Bike
There are even more screenwriters in L.A. than waiters or corner coffee shops, something like 50,000 movie scripts registered each year with the Screenwriters Guild, and only around 100 bought.

Beating the odds, Scott DiLalla fused his passion for bikes and film and started up One World Studios, and went on to create the award-winning Choppertown and Brittown movies. Looking for a new two-wheeled “star,” he decided to design his own vision of the perfect Triumph chopper, eventually calling it The Harbortown Bobber, also the name of his latest film project. Earl Kane, previously mentioned, would also play a major role in its creation.
“I have always loved motorcycles. Working on them, riding them…. everything.  I grew up in New York just outside of the city and all my friends were into American iron, so naturally I was, too.  Then one day I saw the coolest chopper I had ever seen and it happened to be a Triumph. I got my first Triumph in 2006 and even ended up buying two in that one week.”
A couple years later he began his new project seen here which began with two bikes he bought as parts bikes, most of a 1969 Triumph and a1971 Triumph Bonneville café project that had gone nowhere, its 750cc motor eventually powering the Harbortown Bobber. As he set about designing and hunting for parts, Scott focused on a hard-to-find Wassell peanut tank then had it modified to his vision, including a new tunnel and relocation of the filler hole.
The oil tank and fenders are fabricated from spun steel, while tire choices were a 16-inch in the rear and 21-inch in the front.
“The wider rear tire (130 Metzler) and the form-fitting fender add a sense of weight to the rear which helps give it that different look when compared to other Triumphs,” Scott explains.

The frame was a different matter. Scott drove the 1400 miles along famous Route 66 to Denver, Colorado and a shop called Shamrock Fabrication to put his hands on it.  “We did 3,000 miles in one week, but it was worth it,” says Scott.
At this point, Earl Kane was bought into put it all together while the film recorded the process as part of the film, art imitating life in reverse.
“We spent most of our shooting days in Earl’s shop until the bike was completed, watching as he fabricated a seat, license-plate bracket, cool chain tensioner, fork stop bungs, a headlight mount, even painted the tank.”
Earl also introduced Scott to jet coating (ceramic coating), a process similar to powder coating that car guys use to insulate their exhaust pipes as well as give them an aluminum finish. The treatment was applied to the bike’s gas tank, oil bag, and fender with the resulting polished aluminum look.
A final touch was a custom leather seat hand tooled by Gilbert Gonzales, capping off a two-year odyssey for the building and filming the Harbortown Bobber. (More info about the movie at http://www.harbortownbobber.com/)

Top 5 Triumph Bonneville customs

Bike exif already rounded up their favorite Triumph Scramblers and Thruxtons, but today they’re tackling the base model in Triumph’s modern classics line—the Bonneville.
Styled after the Bonnies of the 60s and 70s, the ‘new’ Bonneville was released in 2001 and went on to form the basis for the Scrambler and Thruxton. It’s been available in a few designations over the years, including the standard, SE and T100 models, the main differences being trimmings and, in some cases, wheels.
While it might not look as dressed-up as the Scrambler or the Thruxton, the stock Bonneville invokes more than enough nostalgia. It’s just as popular among riders and builders alike. As usual, that makes the task of selecting our favorite five almost impossible.
Mule Motorcycles Some would call Richard Pollock outspoken; others might say he’s opinionated. Either way, there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most experienced and knowledgeable builders around. (Just check his guide to building a cafe racer.) If you have a Hinckley Bonneville in need of customization, you’ll be in good hands.
This particular Bonnie is loaded with significant performance upgrades. For starters, the engine was sent to Triumph Performance USA and bored out to 904cc and fitted with new cams, 39mm Keihin FCR flat-slide carbs and a remapped ignition module. That, and the 2-into-1 Mule exhaust system, resulted in a healthy 85bhp at the rear wheel.
Handling is taken care of by upside-down forks from a Yamaha YZF-R6 and Race Tech rear shocks, built to Mule’s specifications, with 19” Sun wheels wrapped in flat-track rubber. Bolt-on Mule frame downtubes hold the new Earl’s competition oil-cooler. The fiberglass tail unit is also a Mule catalogue part—fitting it requires shortening the subframe by about six inches, and it’s supplied with an end-cap assembly that’s welded in place and houses the tail light and license plate bracket.
The end result has a remarkably factory-race feel to it. If Triumph had to add a ‘Tracker’ to their modern classics range, this is what I imagine it would look like. [More about this bike | Mule Motorcycles]
Image by David Edwards of BikeCraft magazine.
Mr Martini ‘Shorty’ We’ve featured Nicola Martini’s work in all three of our Triumph modern classics Top 5s—and with over two decades’ experience working with the marque, that’s not surprising. This is ‘Shorty,’ a bare bones 2006 Bonneville with clear dirt-track influences.
In typical Mr Martini fashion the finishes are classy—a smaller, more angular fuel tank done in a retro yellow, complemented by yellow piping on the custom brown leather seat. Upgrades include an aluminum swingarm, Bitubo rear shocks, new bars and risers, and a bespoke exhaust system from Zard. Number boards and huge air filters add to the bike’s air of single-mindedness, with the lack of a front brake, front fender and any running lights driving the point home. [More about this bike | Mr Martini]
Deus ‘Dave’s Bonney’/Cherry Red Deus are know for designing motorcycles with clean lines and gorgeous paint—but this one’s particularly stunning, even by the Sydney company’s standards. A fair amount of work’s gone into it: It’s been lowered two inches, the swingarm extended and the subframe shortened and modified.
The suspension’s been upgraded as well, and 18” (rear) and 19” (front) alloy “H” pattern rims are fitted with stainless steel spokes. Tingate 41mm clip-ons and Norman Hyde rear sets replace the stock bars and controls. The most noticeable change, however, is the bodywork—starting with a modified Kawasaki W650 fuel tank, which also houses the fuel injection module, and ending with a fiberglass tail unit with a neatly integrated taillight. Tying it all together is an incredible paint job by Dutchy’s. [More about this bike | Deus Customs]
Wrenchmonkees T100 It’s not often that you see a fairing on a Bonny, but the Wrenchmonkees have pulled it off superbly. It’s a T100 built in 2011 for the opening of Italian motorcycle and lifestyle store, Hook Motors. It’s quite a looker and could quite easily be mistaken for a vintage race bike, thanks to that fairing and the café-style Wrenchmonkees tail unit.
It also features one-off side covers, LSL rear sets and clip-ons, Bitubo shocks and Avon tires. Both the taillight and headlight are from the Wrenchmonkees catalogue—the latter mounted in the fairing and offset to the right. The color is perfect—British Racing Green with hand-drawn logos. [More about this bike | Wrenchmonkees]
MeanMachines ‘Mad Max’ Australian builder Wenley Ng said that his aim with this 2008-model Bonnie was to “build a monster truck tracker.” I’d say he succeeded. ‘Mad Max,’ as Wenley’s dubbed it, owes most of its prowess to its huge tires—130-section at the front, and 200 at the rear. Accommodating those are upside down forks from a Suzuki GSX-R, mounted in custom triple trees, and a widened and extended swingarm with a mono-shock conversion.
The subframe’s been shortened to match the perforated leather seat, and the tank raised slightly at the rear to further alter the bike’s stance. There’s a host of other mods, including the expertly crafted 2-into-1-into-2 exhaust system, and the engine’s received pod filters, a re-jet and a dyno tune.
An especially nice touch is the custom-made, oversized inspection window on the clutch cover. Finishing everything off is a striking candy red color scheme with white accents. [More about this bike | MeanMachines]
Photo by Cam Elkins of Stories of Bike.
Honorable mentions must go out to Cafe Racer Dreams, Dime City Cycles, Ton-Up Garage and British Customs—all of whom have put out great examples that narrowly missed our final list. If you think there’s another Triumph Bonneville custom that should belong here, let us know in the comments.

First appeared in www.bikeexif.com

VDBMotos Triumph Scrambler

After several years of no fixed abode, and therefore no motorcycle (the horror!), Derick finally settled down in New York where he was at long last able to rekindle his love of bikes by getting an American driving license and a British scrambler.  The mods that he carried out on his Triumph attracted so many compliments, that it persuaded him to turn a hobby into a full time passion.  This Scrambler, the T2, is what Derick considers to be his first ‘proper build’.

Derick grew up near Florence in Italy.   As a result, he spent his formative years hooning around on dirt bikes in the Tuscan hills – the lucky bugger.  When he was legally allowed onto the road he did so on an XR600R, a bike as famous for its ankle breaking kick starter as its grin inducing single cylinder.  And the dual purpose bike is where Derick takes his inspiration from.  The freedom to go anywhere you want, but with road manners that make the city commute a doddle.

One of the most striking features of this build is the tank. It was stripped down to bare metal and the rust process was speeded up with the help of a vinegar/salt solution to create a real patina that would normally have taken years to appear.  The headers were shortened, wrapped and fitted with two mini GP style mufflers, leaving the original bracket as a support for the ammunition box – a genuine surviving piece of military hardware from the Vietnam war.  Derick says it’s perfect for carrying a picnic and a 6 pack.

The paint used for the new fenders and several parts of the bike is a bedliner protective coating, giving an added rugged texture and durability.  The original instruments have been replaced by a mini led speedo which has been fitted to the left side of the engine with the ignition key relocation, leaving space for the Renthal ultra low handlebars.  The low profile seat covers the tubular frame just up to the end, where LED indicators have been fitted and wired inside the frame for a super clean look.  An LED Bates style light sits at the back, and up front is a yellow headlight filter protected by a black grille for that proper rugged, go anywhere look.

Suspension has been upgraded with adjustable Hagon shocks at the rear and progressive springs at the front. The oversized Continental TKC80′s offer a higher centre of gravity, which helps make an already great city bike even better.   And with the added power of the new exhaust, K&N filter and shorter gear ratios, it must be an absolute riot to blast around NY’s crazy streets on.
Right now VDBMotos is a one man operation, but judging by the quality of ‘proper build’ number 1,  and the fact that there are plans afoot for a pop-up shop, clothing, accessories and events, its going to require a lot more than one man very soon.  Keep us posted Derick.
See more from VDBMotos on their Website, Instagram & Facebook.

Originally posted in thebikeshed.cc by Ian Heartfield

Barons T100 Sprint Bike

On the southern coast of Wales, stretching out for 7 miles along the edge of Carmarthen Bay, is a long flat stretch of beach named Pendine Sands. While the beach lacks the key ingredients for being the ultimate coastal holiday retreat (i.e. sunshine, waves or warm water) it was once coined as “the finest natural speedway imaginable”, making it exactly the kind of place we’d love to visit. Pendine’s unique daily tidal cycle means that with each new morning the beach sits perfectly smoothed and packed more precisely than most man made raceways.

 

During World War 2 the shores of Pendine Sands were commandeered by the military for use as a firing range and have remained under the control of the Ministry of defence ever since. Vehicles were banned from accessing the beach due to the risk of detonating unexploded munitions, but in 2010 someone decided “it must be safe by now?” and the shores were open again for special events.

In early 2013 Gary Mergerum and Dick Smith of South London based Baron’s Speed Shop, had just completed their Triumph T100 based rigid sprint bike. Boasting a balanced crankshaft, 9-1 pistons, racing oil pump, 3 inch megaphones, five plate clutch and twin Amal monoblocs, the vintage drag bike was a force to be reckoned with. An M&H Racemaster 18” x 4” slick added the final touch for awesome asphalt traction and the guys were getting busy making plans for it’s first race event. It was around this time that the Hertsfordshire Landspeed Racing Club announced its relocation to Pendine along with the dates for a speed trial event out on the historic sand. Knowing that the event was too good to be missed the guys quickly got to work revising the bike for the event. I spoke to Gary in late 2013 and he shared their experience of the event and passed on these shots of their T100 in landspeed dress out on the shores of Pendine.

“The original plan was, and still is, to race the bike at various vintage sprints around the UK, but we decided to focus on Pendine as it was an event so steeped in British land speed racing history that we couldn’t ignore it. We were already busy preparing my 1960 Triumph Thunderbird for Bonneville, but found time to make the small changes needed to turn it from sprint bike to land speed racer."

 

"First change was to have a new rear wheel built and fit it with modern Avon racing rubber. This would replace the current 18”x 4” M&H Racemaster slick we would use on tarmac. Next was to add a small ‘pussy pad’ to the rear mudguard to allow me to get as low as possible and also to fit the various cut-outs needed to conform to the SCTA regulations that the event was running under. The engine was tuned by Dick to a moderate level of power. You could consider calling it a hot motor, but reliable enough for multiple passes. We fit it with a close ratio cluster, and the frame was stretched by 2” for clearance and to add a bit to the wheelbase. So we were all set to go."

This story is a excerpt from the latest issue of Tank Moto magazine. To see the full feature and photo set grab yourself a copy of issue 3 here.

TANK MOTO     |     BARONS SPEED SHOP

First appeared in returnofthecaferacers.com

Steve McQueen Limited-Edition Triumph – Richard Pollock

When I get an email from Richard Pollock of Mule Motorcycles, I always get a bit excited – it’s like getting the ultimate care package. Once again, Richard did not disappoint: a makeover for a Steve McQueen Limited-Edition Triumph. The other bonus about receiving a build story from Richard: being a natural storyteller, he knows how to spin a yarn. So, I give you the story of this build as told by Richard himself.

 

“Steve McQueen liked bikes and cars, not because it enhanced his celebrity, but because he was a gearhead first. He bankrolled ‘On Any Sunday’ not for himself, but rather to promote the fun and camaraderie of motorcycle racing and riding, and also to showcase the guys that were his true heroes.” – richard pollock

Limited-Edition Triumph By Richard Pollock

Generally speaking, I love the new Triumph twins. To me, they’re an incredible starting point to build from. They’re super reliable and the chassis’ respond well to all sorts of upgrades. A builder’s dream. I guess that’s why you see so many currently being built. All that said, Triumph seems to have some odd ideas for “Special” models, merely changing colors of the paint, the seat cover and fitting strange handlebars or exhaust. If it were me, I’d funnel much more of the factory design energy into getting the basic platform to be closer to the wasp-like proportions of the original Bonnevilles or Scramblers and give them some umph!

This project began with a call from San Francisco. The intent being to build a trick, unique, Bonnie based, everyday street bike to replace a Steve McQueen limited edition unit recently stolen. The email and phone discussions based on how extensive the build was to be and whether the donor bike would be provided by the customer or the builder. The customer is a designer himself and for sure wanted something very unique! The emails ended for a week or so. Then, the news that the stolen bike had been recovered!! This bike would become the basis for the build.

As is my preference, I was given free rein to design the build and make improvements that would yield the most improvement for dollars spent. There was a bit of theft damage, but nothing that couldn’t be dealt with. There were just a couple of guidelines. Keep the paint in the original SM green, 2 into 1 exhaust, larger (actually functional!), luggage rack and most important…retain the heated grips! It gets cold riding in S.F.!

“Generally speaking, I love the new Triumph twins. To me, they’re an incredible starting point to build from. They’re super reliable and the chassis’ respond well to all sorts of upgrades. A builder’s dream.”

Having built 25 of the triumphs now, I’ve developed a group of components that give lots of bang for the buck. Steve McQueen #319, as this bike came to be known. There was a run of only a 1000 built, got Mule triple clamps, Racetech re-worked Yamaha R-6 forks, Brembo front rotor and caliper, Mule lightweight hubs (the rear hub being 14lbs lighter than stock!), Mule 2-1 stainless exhaust, Racetec/Mule shocks, Mule oil cooler kit, stainless bars, 18” Sun Rims with stainless spokes and Bridgestone tires and lastly, motor work taking the stock motor to a whole new level of performance. Headwork, cams, 904cc kit and a Power Commander for tweaking the fuel injection.

A custom front fender mount attaches the severely trimmed stock fender to the R-6 forks and the rear fender that nearly wrapped all the way around the wheel was trimmed leaving just a hint of the original under the seat. A custom luggage rack required its own weld fixture to fabricate and uses nothing from the original rack except the mounting location and color.

I hated to see this bike go. The ride is like a bike bearing the Steve McQueen namesake should be. Exciting, fun with a performance look. Much more than merely a paint job and stickers.